The Episcopal Church in America has been a stronghold in American Christianity since the colonial times.

Today, we're going to look at my top picks for the most famous Episcopalians.

The criteria for this list is that it doesn't matter if said person/people practice the faith anymore or if they are still active, as long as they have been parishioners of the Episcopal Church for a significant time in their lives. Anyone who served in any position relating to the Episcopal Church is excluded, so the former Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and current Presiding Bishop Michael Bruce Curry will not be seen on this list.

Fun fact: My family and I attended our local Episcopal Church until I was 8.

8. John Jay

A slaveowner and member of the Federalist political party, the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who was a known member of the Church of England, and later the Episcopal Church when the American Revolution came to a close. Jay also was vice-president and president of the American Bible Society.

7. Francis Scott Key

The writer of the U.S. national anthem The Star-Spangled Banner, Key was a strong Episcopalian growing up. However, he hasn't been without controversy. The third verse of the anthem, which is not traditionally sung, has been the subject of scrutiny of approving slavery, as Key was also a slaveowner. Like John Jay, he was also involved with the American Bible Society

6. Bush family

While several presidents have been Episcopalians in their lives, one presidential family of note is the popular Bush family. George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara are reportedly still Episcopalians today, while certain people in the Bush family left the Episcopal Church to be part of other denominations. Examples include Jeb Bush, now a Catholic and George W. Bush, now a Methodist.

5. Neil Gorsuch

While Gorsuch is notable for being President Trump's Supreme Court justice pick, he is also an active Episcopalian. He is currently the Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

4. Fred Astaire

The famous dancer became an Episcopalian in 1912, after being born to German Lutheran parents.

3. John Steinbeck

The well-known writer of classics such as East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck was agnostic in his adult life. However, he and his family were members of the Episcopal Church when he was younger.

2. Dean Acheson

The fifty-first U.S. Secretary of State, serving under President Truman, was born to an Episcopalian family, whose father, Edward Acheson, eventually became the Episcopal Bishop of Connecticut.

1. Theodore Roosevelt

While he grew up in the Dutch Reformed Church, "Teddy" Roosevelt eventually started attending the Episcopal Church with his wife during his time as the twenty-sixth U.S. President.

The reason why he's number one on my list is because of the many innovations he was noted for when he was in office. The second reason is because he was the President when Oklahoma, (my home state,) was added to the Union as the forty-sixth state in 1907.

For more famous Episcopalians (and Anglicans), check out this link.